Casket placer for metal vaults



Dec. 24, 1957 R. w. MERZ 2,817,133

CASKET PLACER FOR METAL VAULTS Filed Aug. 28, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 INVENTOR Dec. 24, 1957 R..W. MERZ 2,817,138

CASKET PLACER FOR METAL VAULTS Filed Aug. 2a, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 E MD ")0 :IICV I W- ll BY i hrgfi s I ATTORNEY mwsmog United States Patent ()fiflce 2,817,138 Patented Dec. 24, 1957 2,817,138 CASKET PLACER FOR METAL VAULTS Robert W. Merz, Salem, ll].

Application August 28, 1956, Serial No. 606,757 1 Claim. (Cl. 27-26) This invention relates to a device for assisting in the placing of a casket on the base of a metal vault at the burial site.

Metal vaults usually include a base having end and side flanges located below the top which is provided with transverse ribs or stiffener members and suitable keepers to lock the cover thereto. In the normal course of events, the base is supported on a conventional lowering mechanism over the open grave, and in the past it has been the custom, by necessity, for the casket bearers to carry the casket the full length of the base and place it thereon. At best this in an awkward maneuver if successfully executed, and if not, further adjustment of the casket is required at the risk of disturbing the solemnity of the occasion.

Accordingly, the present invention has primarily in view, the provision of a carriage mounted to straddle the base and travel on the side flanges thereof after receiving one end of the casket, thereby, insuring quiet and accurate positioning of the casket without difficulty and readily permitting the removal of the carriage when its function is complete.

Another object of the invention is to provide supporting wheels which are adjustable laterally to readily adapt the device to the difference in the spacing of the flanges in vaults made by various manufacturers. This feature renders the device of general application to all vault bases.

Another object is to provide a threshold of the casket platform of the carriage with roller means which enables the end of the casket to move freely to seated position.

A further object is to provide abutments which are attachable and removable relative to the ends of the base flanges opposite to casket receiving ends to prevent accidental displacement of tthe carriage at the time the casket is being placed over the base.

Other objects will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood from the following specification, and the drawings in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view illustrating the application of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the carriage.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation.

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one of the carriage stops on a related base flange.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the vault base A is provided with marginally depressed side and end flanges, intermediate upstanding stiffening ribs, and cover keepers, in the conventional manner.

The side flanges B constitute, for the purpose of the invention, tracks upon which the carriage C travels in performing its intended functions. This carriage includes a frame provided with a casket receiving platform and wheels D for tractive engagement with the side flanges B.

More specifically, the wheels D are arranged in opposite pairs and are each mounted on axles 1 carried by spaced journal plates 22. These plates, above the axles, are connected by a plurality of transversely disposed rods 3 which constitute the casket receiving platform previously mentioned.

As will be seen from Fig. 2, the rods 3 are disposed in spaced parallel relation. The ends of the rods are provided with threads 4 and project through registering holes in the journal plates to receive nuts 5-6 which clamp the plates between them. The front and rear rods 3 are provided between the plates with abutment sleeves 7 to insure proper and rigid spacing of the plates relative to each other to accommodate the wheels D.

Another function of the threads 4 and companion nuts 56 is that they make it possible to position one set of journal plates relative to the other to adjust the device to the spacing of the side flanges on different vault bases. This difference in spacing is in the nature of approximately one half inch, and, in practice, it is cus tomary to set the journal plates to suit the type of vault base with which the carriage is to be used, and thereafter it is unnecessary to change the adjustment, unless the dvice is desired to be used with another type of base.

Some of the rods 3, preferably the first two at the approach side of the platform, are provided with tubular rollers 8 to permit the bottom of the casket to freely slide onto the platform until it reaches the upstanding back wall E. This wall may be of skeleton formation, as shown, if desired, and in that case includes a top rail 9 adjustably connected to uprights 10 through openings 9a and wing nuts 9b. The uprights are carried by a cross-bar 11 medially adjustable through the medium of the slots 11b and wing nuts 11a. The ends 12 of the cross-bar are secured to and carried by the outer journal plates 2.

As will be seen from Fig. 3, the abutment clamp 13 is of substantially C-shaped formation and has one arm thereof perforated to receive the threaded shank of a winged bolt 14. This clamp is detachably secured to the rear end of the side flanges of the vault base to act as a limiting stop for the rear wheels of the carriage and prevent it from accidentally overrunning the base and thereby suddenly drop the casket on the base with considerable jar. Two clamps are used, one for each flange.

As will be seen from Fig. 1, the vault base A is supported on the usual lowering mechanism and the carriage C is positioned at the receiving end of the base. The casket bearers place the end of the casket on the elongated tubula-r rollers 8 and slide it rearwardly until the casket engages the rear wall 9, whereupon, the entire carriage rolls on wheels D over flanges B until the wheels encounter the stop clamps 13. The trailing end of the casket then rests on the vault base and the bearers or other attendants slightly lift the end of the casket on the platform and pull the carriage over the stop clamps and from beneath the casket end to permit the same to rest on the base.

"From the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention provides a light and yet strong accessory which materially aids the convenient placing of a casket on and in registry with the base of a metal vault.

I claim:

A casket placer for metal vaults including a base having side flanges, a carriage comprising, in combination, a platform for supporting the casket, said platform composed of a plurality of spaced rods having threaded end portions, a pair of journal plates secured to said opposite threaded end portions and spaced to provide wheel clearances, and wheels mounted on axles carried by said journal plates in said wheel clearances, said wheels travelling on said flanges to carry the casket into registry with the base.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 582,970 Adolph May 18, 1897 736,377 Fuller Aug. 18, 1903 2,781,571 Blachly Feb. 19 1957 

